Monthly Archive for October, 2014

: October, 2014

“Drugs” and religion may seem an odd combination, but the two share an intersecting, sometimes conflicting, and fascinating history. Religion’s relationship with mind altering substances has, at times, been constructive and other times combative and sometimes both. What follows is an overview of the taut interrelation between various spiritualities, religions, and “drugs,” focusing in on three areas. …

The other week I posted a piece on my blog and at Sojourners — a progressive Christian publication associated with the work of Jim Wallis — about why Westerners join ISIS. The piece focused on some of the more sociological reasons Westerners choose to connect to such an violent group. The piece attracted some critics. Most notably, an ISIS supporter contacted me on Twitter to let me know where I got it wrong.

@DarAlHaq, who has an ISIS flag and symbol as his cover photo on Twitter and regularly posts photos and stories from the front in Syria and Iraq, told me, “the article doesn’t give the reality of why a young western Muslims wants to leave the comfort.” Fair enough. This is my effort to share his views and problematize my previous presentation.

While most of the leaders of these studies start with the intention to help their parishioners learn more about the world’s religions, the way they go about it usually leads to nominally increased religious literacy. Even worse, these studies often exacerbate pre-existing prejudices or presuppositions about studied worldviews. …

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